Decorated trains

Of the countless trains running on Japan’s 20,000-kilometer (12,000-mile) rail network, a few are decorated with images of anime and manga characters, colorful ads, and designs by notable artists. Here is a small sample.

Pikachu on Seto line, Aichi prefecture

Galaxy Express 999 train, Furusato-Ginga line, Hokkaido

Characters from Leiji Matsumoto’s “Galaxy Express 999? anime/manga adorn this train that used to run on the Furusato-Ginga line in Hokkaido. The train line closed down in 2006.

Galaxy Express 999 train, Furusato-Ginga line, Hokkaido

Pink ninja train, Iga line, Mie prefecture

Matsumoto also created a series of ninja train designs for the Iga line in Mie prefecture, the birthplace of ninjutsu.

Blue ninja train, Iga line, Mie prefecture

Spiderman train, JR Yumesaki line, Osaka

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Some trains on the Kakogawa line in Hy?go prefecture feature designs by graphic artist Tadanori Yokoo. Yokoo was born in Hy?go.

Yokoo’s eyeball train, Kakogawa line, Hy?go prefecture

Yokoo’s galactic travel train, Kakogawa line, Hy?go prefecture

Yokoo’s Y-junction train, Kakogawa line, Hy?go prefecture

Doraemon train, Seikan Tunnel Tappi Shak? Line, Hokkaido

This Doraemon train runs back and forth through the Seikan Tunnel, an undersea railway connecting Honshu and Hokkaido.

More Doraemon trains in Hokkaido

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Wild boar decoration, Eizan line, Kyoto prefecture

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Kitar? train, Tottori line, Tottori prefecture

Trains on the Tottori line in Tottori prefecture are decorated with characters from Shigeru Mizuki’s “GeGeGe no Kitar?” manga/anime series. Mizuki was born in Tottori prefecture.

Medama-oyaji on Kitar? train, Tottori line

Kitar? train, Tottori line

Ceiling inside Kitar? train, Tottori line

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Chunichi Dragons subway, Nagoya

These trains on the Tokyu Toyoko line in Tokyo were decorated to commemorate Ultraman’s 40th anniversary and promote a movie.

Ultraman train, Tokyo Tokyo line, Tokyo.

Ad for Tokimeki Memorial 3, Tokyo-Arakawa line, Tokyo

Cyborg 009 train, Senseki line, Miyagi prefecture

Miyagi prefecture is the birthplace of manga/anime artist Ishinomori Sh?tar?, whose works include Cyborg 009 and the Kamen Rider Series. Some of his characters adorn trains on the Senseki line.

Himitsu Sentai Goranger train, Senseki line, Miyagi prefecture

Gunma Safari Park ad train, Joshin line, Gunma prefecture

Anpanman train, JR Shikoku, Shikoku

Yanase Takashi, creator of the Anpanman anime series, is from Kochi prefecture in Shikoku. The JR Shikoku railway network operates some Anpanman-themed trains.

Anpanman train interior, JR Shikoku, Shikoku

One-Piece ad train, Enoshima Electric Railway

Pichon-kun on the Skytrain, Bangkok, Thailand

Japanese characters can occasionally be found on trains in other countries. This photo shows Pichon-kun, the robot mascot of Japanese air-conditioning manufacturer Daikin, on the side of the Skytrain in Bangkok, Thailand.